Natural Pest Control Business Gets Boost from Medical Cannabis Industry

TORONTO – When Sarah Stuive first got into the natural pest control business – which uses predatory insects, or “good bugs,” to weed out pests – she never expected to be working with cannabis plants.

But thanks to Health Canada regulations that limit the use of chemical pesticides on medical marijuana in order to make sure the plants are safe for consumption, the biological control specialist says she’s seeing an uptick in business.

“I have seen a lot of growth in demand since the start of the cannabis industry,” said Stuive, who works for Global Horticultural and also provides her services to vegetable farmers and plant growers. “It’s a new alternative to chemicals.”

Although certain chemical pesticides are permitted on medical cannabis- Health Canada currently has a list of seven products that have been approved for use – some producers prefer to avoid chemical sprays, which can leave residue on the plants.